Nethercourt residents say NO to RSP plans

Another packed meeting on Friday night, despite being organised very last minute. St Lawrence Hall saw 90 chairs put out very quickly filled and then with people standing and sitting round the edges until over 120 people were present. A great turn out from Nethercourt where, we are constantly assured by airport supporters, 100% of residents are apparently in support of RSP’s plans. It appears not.

Residents heard about the DCO process and what to do if they wanted to be registered as ‘interested parties’ for the next stage – the examination stage.

People were generally already well-informed about RSP’s plans and were united in being against them. What was most shocking in the evening was when the question was posed – ‘how many of you received any direct notification about any of RSP’s consultation events’ – and only about 3 hands went up. It really does seem as though those living closest to the runway were deliberately kept in the dark.

Residents heard from No Night Flights but also from their local councillors, Cllrs Lin and Jeremy Fairbrass who were clear in why they had supported a small airport at Manston originally but why they were completely against the RSP proposals. Cllr Lin Fairbrass read out the statement from UKIP that has been submitted to PINS.

What does this mean?

A quick update on the Manston Development Consent Order (DCO) process.

Application: No time limit.

17/07/18 RSP re-submits application for the upgrade and re-opening of Manston airport primarily as a cargo airport, plus some passenger servcies, with capacity for 12,000 plus air cargo movements per year, including numberless night flights (limited only be an overall annual noise budget bigger than Luton’s) plus acceptance of aircraft banned from Heathrow and Gatwick at night on noise grounds (QC4 rated aircraft)

Acceptance: Up to 28 days

14/08/18 PINS announces acceptance of the application (just within the statutory deadline). For a summary of relevant reasons for acceptance see PINS checklist from p4 here.

Pre-examination: 3 months after the applicant (RSP) triggers the process

Three weeks from EA invitation to interested parties (perhaps late December 2018) Preliminary Meeting held to set procedure plus detailed timetable and deadlines for submissions to Examination.

Examination: Up to 6 months

To consider written representations and hold hearings (perhaps February to August 2019)

Report and recommendations: Up to 3 months

3 months to issue report and recommendation(s) (perhaps October – November 2019)

Decision: Up to 3 months

3 months for Secretary of State to make a DCO (or to refuse development consent) and issue statement of reeasons (perhaps January – February 2020)

Post-decision: Up to 6 weeks

6 week window for Judicial Review in the High Court.

WE ARE AT THE PRE-EXAMINATION STAGE.

It is at this stage that, before 8th October 2018, all interested parties need to apply to PINS to be registered. Being registered means that you can contribute at the Examination stage of the process. If you do not apply to be registered as an interested party before 8th October, you will have no further opportunity to contribute your views.

PINS say about registering:

In this form, your representation must include an outline of the principal submissions you intend to make in relation to the application. You cannot reserve a right to make a representation later without providing an outline of the points you intend to submit at this stage.

that is vexatious or frivolous

about compensation for compulsory acquisition of land or of any interest in or right over land

about the merits of policy set out in a designated national policy statement.

The information you include in the representation section of this form will be used by the Examining Authority to carry out their initial assessment of principal issues and to decide the best way to examine the application.

Here you must provide an outline of the main points you intend to make in relation to the application. Failure to provide this will mean that we are unable to register you as an interested party. Please aim to limit this section to no more than 500 words.